Just Digital Photography Digital Photography – Digital Cameras Tips & Techniques

22May/090

Digital Camera Basics

Ernie Delgado asked:


An electronics on-line discussion forum contains a story about an elderly woman who wanted a simple camera to take pictures of her grandchildren. When she received a digital camera for Christmas, she looked puzzled for a moment and then asked, “Where do you put in the film?” This humorous example demonstrates how the revolutionary technology of digital cameras may be mystifying for those who have difficulty grasping the concept of a “filmless” camera! For almost a century, photography enthusiasts sagely discussed such topics as 35mm film, light meters and F-stops; today, digital cameras have made such topics all but obsolete.

Howstuffworks.com contains an article by Gurevich, Karim, and Wilson that greatly simplifies an explanation of how digital cameras work. Very simply, they explain that CDs, mp3’s, and DVDs all share the same technology: they convert traditional analog “wave” data into digital data based upon “bits.” In so doing, this radical shift in technology has changed greatly – and forever – how we do things and what has become possible including digital “filmless” cameras. While film cameras depend upon chemical and mechanical processes, digital cameras contain a computer that records images electronically.

In 1994, Kodak and Apple developed and sold the first digital cameras. Today there are hundreds of models to choose from, depending upon the type of pictures you need, the complexity with which you’re comfortable, and what digital camera you can afford. For everyday use, most people prefer a “point and shoot” camera that isn’t complex, takes good quality pictures that can be loaded onto computers or printed for personal use and to send to friends, and is affordable. According to a number of consumer guides and customer reviews, the top ten digital cameras in the low, mid, and high price ranges are:

1. Nikon D300 (high)

2. Canon EOS 5D (high)

3. Canon EOS 40D (high)

4. HP Photosmart M547 (low, great value)

5. FujiFilm Finepix S700 (mid)

6. GE A730 (mid)

7. Nikon D200 (high)

8. Canon EOS Digital Rebel Xsi (high)

9. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 (mid)

10. Canon EOS 30D (high)

The point should be made that what constitutes a “great” digital camera is usually in the eye of the beholder. One person’s “top ten” list is almost certain to differ from another person’s. For example, a digital camera that is making devoted converts is the Casio Exilim series that sells in the mid-level price range, depending upon your digital camera photography needs. On the other end, Digital Camera.com rates the Pentax Optio E-10 as “the worst digital camera ever.”

With all these differing opinions, what’s the best way to buy the digital camera that’s right for you? If you simply want to take personal pictures, choose a digital camera that has at least three megapixels. This will give you good quality pictures at a very affordable price. Remember that the higher the number of megapixels, the better quality your pictures will be, but the digital camera you choose will be more complex and more expensive. Also consider the size and shape of the camera; is it easy for you to carry in your purse or pocket? Finally, be sure your digital camera has at least 256-512 megabites of space on its memory card so you won’t have to buy additional memory cards. Taking all these factors into consideration will help you enjoy capturing treasured memories for years to come.



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16May/090

A Guide to Digital Camera Ratings

Muna wa Wanjiru asked:


Many of us use digital cameras to take our pictures for a variety of functions and events. We need a good digital camera to take these fantastic pictures. To help us with choosing a good digital camera we can use digital camera ratings. These ratings will enable us to select the camera that will be suited for our photographic abilities.

To see if we have found a reliable way to choose a digital camera we can look at digital camera buyer’s guides, or photography magazines to select the criteria that will help us. These various digital camera ratings will let us see how the different digital cameras perform in value for money, the handling of the camera, the performance of the camera and the various features that can be found.

When we look at the digital camera ratings for cameras like Minolta, Nikon and Pentax we need to see the performance of these types of digital cameras in different digital camera ratings. The ratings will briefly cover the aspects of how good the optics in the digital camera of your choice is.

The rating should state if you have a digital camera that will provide you with pictures that are clear and sharp. You will also need to know if you are selecting a digital camera that is good for an absolute beginner to digital photography, a semi-serious photographer, an individual who is taking pictures for as a hobby.

Additionally the different digital cameras must be useable by the professional photographer. With the digital camera ratings you can also investigate how the camera’s handling is. You will need to what your selected digital cameras, like the Canon Rebel Digital XT, feels like as you take pictures in different situations.

This means that you should see if there is any way to hold the camera comfortably. The digital camera ratings will inform you about the control layout. You should be able to read and understand what is on the control layout. With a digital camera rating you can also see what types of features are found on the digital camera.

These various features will let you see if there is a menu system that will let you navigate through the different items that you have on your selection of digital cameras. When you look through the different digital camera ratings you should note how the exposure and the metering modes are for the various digital cameras.

With this newfound knowledge of the digital camera ratings tucked under your belt, it will become easy enough for you to choose a new digital camera.



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14May/090

Choosing the Right Waterproof Digital Camera

Russ Snapper asked:


Waterproof Digital Camera can capture your memories on a beach, at a nightclub, pool and in many other places because of its high technical configuration. It is specially designed for taking clear pictures of the objects under water that is below five feet and more. Parallel to this, you can view all the pictures instantly and you have quick access of the images taken. There will be lot of differences in taking shots and the working condition also varies when compared with the other digital cameras.

Waterproof digital cameras have different modes that are used for diverse scenes, but you need to have proper knowledge of the camera before use and that can be attained by thoroughly reading the manual. You have to do some research before deciding to buy. Always purchase a camera that is easily accessible by the thumb for clicking and the user interface should be simple. Technical aspects like compact, digital zoom, flash levels, dimensions, internal memory, movie mode etc have to be given importance while buying.

Sony and Canon offer waterproof digital cameras at different prices. Nowadays the waterproof cameras are designed for lifestyle purpose and fulfilling professional needs also. People enjoying vacation on water base always opt for waterproof digital cameras to enhance and cherish their experience. You can take colorful shots while doing underwater snorkeling or scuba diving and so you cannot rely on faulty cameras. In addition to this, these cameras are good options for capturing action shots that are water-based like white water rafting, fishing and kayaking etc. There are cameras available to capture underwater photographs at the depth above 30 feet.

Sealife DC500 is scuba divers delight as it can be used up to 200feet depth. This camera has two underwater shooting options. First one is typical shot for underwater with slight shutter pause or lag. But the Shark shooting option captures intended object and the range or distance is remembered for the following photos and hence there is no lag time with the closing speed of the shutter. It has got a flash and has expandability with other lenses like 3x and 4x optical zoom. Some main features of this waterproof digital camera are 5.0 mega pixels, 3x optical zoom and auto-focus with a LCD display of two inches for viewing the photos.

Olympus Stylus 770SW is referred as the toughest waterproof camera because it is not only waterproof but also freeze and crush proof. Among the waterproof cameras available in the market, this camera sounds like handling anything on the way without any damage. It has got 7.1 mega pixels and as a result gets great resolution and also has LCD display of 2.5 inches. Underwater, the camera is shockproof till 5 feet, can take up crushing force of 220 pounds and waterproof till 30 feet. It also has 30 shooting modes with movie sounds.

Pentax Optio W20 is another waterproof digital camera that is preferred by many photographers because it provides them the needed features. A rubber-sealed seam is an important feature that can be immersed till 5 feet for a period of half an hour. It’s distinctive features are 7 mega pixels, macro lens, 3x optical zoom, 2.5 inches LCD screen, recording videos and underwater settings.

The other popular waterproof digital cameras are Casio Exilim Zoom EX-Z1000, Fuji Fine Pix A400 digital camera and Bonica Snapper-XP underwater digital camera.



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13May/090

How to Find the Best Digital Camera

Nicholas Tan asked:


It seems that every month, if not every week, different manufacturers are coming up with the latest digital cameras to entice potential clients. And it's just not working for us!

After spending sizeable amount of time at the mall figuring out which is the best digital camera for us, we finally have enough money to buy for that eye-popping, 7 mega pixel, 10x digital zoom, potable, candy colored, up to 512MB expandable memory of super hi-speed SD memory card and not to mention very portable, (that will be the envy of almost everyone we know). We march to the mall armed with our life savings and lotsa pride in ourselves, when we pass by a new display - an eight mega pixel, up to 1G expandable memory, with built it mic and stereo surround, video playback capable, with 22 scenic modes kind-of-camera. And we sigh because the producer of this amazing gadget claims that this is the best digital camera yet out in the market. And so as we always want to have the best, armed with our life savings and a few credit cards, we buy the "best digital camera." But then again, that doesn't last too long, after two months or so, there's another "best digital camera."

And so it confuses us. What makes a digital camera, the best digital camera?

Well, there are certain factors to consider when looking for the "best digital camera" for us.

MEGAPIXELS. One of the most important features of digital camera to make it into the best digital camera category is its mega pixel property. The higher the mega pixels the better the actual photograph will come out. A mega pixel is equivalent to one million pixels. The resolution of your image is based upon the mega pixel property of your camera. This means that as you enlarge the picture, you would get more detail and less blurry colors.

LCD SIZE. The best digital camera will always have a large LCD to help you frame your subject without having to squint to the viewfinder. This is also helpful when reviewing your images, some cameras enable touch up and editing features with its LCD. A 1.5-inch display is average, a 2-inch LCD display is good, but the best LCD size would be 2.5 inches or higher.

ZOOM. Most digital cameras have both digital and optical zoom. A higher optical zoom is always better than a higher digital zoom. Digital cameras are usually furnished with optical of between 3x to 10x. The better the optical zoom, the higher it climbs up to the best digital camera category.

MEMORY CARD. Always make sure that your memory card is the right one for your digital camera. There are different types of memory card like the xD, SD, Flash card and the likes. And these types of memory cards go with certain types of digital cameras. of course memory storage is also up there in choosing the best digital cameras. Choose the size of memory that you need, if you're a photo junkie, you might need more than 32MB. Memory cards can go up to 1G.

The key point to find the best digital camera is to find one that will best fit you and your lifestyle. Don't just buy the latest or the one that claims they are the best digital cameras out in the market. You wouldn't want to buy a DSLR and use it with your home activities or family outing and have to lug it around?! Or you don't want to buy the latest point and shoot camera when you're serious about being a professional photographer. (Of course, you can use this for starters, but if you're not a novice photographer anymore, you wouldn't want to get this kind of camera.)

Actually, the best digital camera is the one that you will enjoy and use. Not the type that you'll just leave rotting in its box or after a few weeks of usage or so, up there in the attic.



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4May/090

Making Your Digital Camera Batteries Last Longer

Roberto Sedycias asked:


Digital cameras, also known as filmless cameras are one of the most intelligent inventions of late. Because before digital cameras, even the most high end cameras were chemical process dependent for photo printout.

But in digital camera, images are recorded electronically by an inbuilt computer. Though initially they were beyond the reach of normal people due to price factor, now they are available in within an affordable range.

Battery is an important component of any digital camera. In fact the longevity of your digital camera depends upon the performance of its battery. First thing to remember is never go in for alkaline AA batteries as they have shorter life span. Always opt for rechargeable batteries called as NiMH. Although they are a bit costly as compared to alkaline AA digital camera batteries, but they can be reused for a long time.

If you are going out on a long trip, it is a good idea to take extra rechargeable batteries. You never know when they will come handy as digital cameras consume power from batteries quickly even if you use rechargeable ones.

While going on a trip, it is also advisable to take battery charger along with you as digital camera batteries may lose their charge over time. Having a charger is helpful especially if u r novice in digital camera photography for you tend to consume more batteries while clicking the perfect shot. Here are some other helpful tips to increase the longevity of your digital camera batteries.

It is always advisable to remove the batteries when the digital camera is not in use. This simple precaution can ensure the longevity of batteries.

Never let your digital camera batteries get wet as water can corrode the batteries and eventually damage them.

You should have prior knowledge about this fact that, if you are using MicroDrive media these miniature hard drives may take up quite more power than Compact Flash cards and hence extra rechargeable batteries are a must.

Turn off your digital camera when not in use. If you are in a situation where you must snap pictures quickly, this may not be a wise suggestion, but if you are in no hurry and can afford a couple of seconds before snapping a still subject, by all means, conserve your digital camera`s energy.

You do not need to stop and take a look after taking photo every time as by doing this does use up your digital camera`s battery power. However, once in a while, it is good to check if your exposure, lightening is perfect or not.

Now-a-days, many digital cameras come with regular viewfinder and an LCD viewfinder facility. While the digital LCD viewfinder has better resolution, it can drain battery power. Turn it off when applicable and use your regular viewfinder for taking pictures.

Try to keep your image playback to a minimum as they can drain out the battery power.

While replacing batteries in a digital camera, it is recommended that their mAh values match. The `mAh` stands for Milliamp Hour is a technical term used while describing how much power a particular battery will hold. It might be possible that one lesser mAh battery will drain before the others, resulting extra strain on the remaining batteries.

For better performance, do check in for an add-on power pack that uses AA NiMH batteries in your digital cameras.

When your AA NiMH batteries stopped accepting a charge, do not throw away them for they are recyclable. Contact your battery manufacturer or local recycling agency to see if these dead batteries can be recycled.

Always make sure to insert similar batteries into your digital camera battery charger. Miss-match set of batteries can result in damaging the batteries or the charger, and in extreme case, a fire too can ensue.

Taking proper care of your digital camera batteries ensures optimum and long lasting performance. Hope the above tips will come handy for the consumers of digital cameras.



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